Gimme The Loot!

Hey all,

So today's post goes out to all the little spots I've been hitting up for my cans. For those of you not familiar with UCSB, I hope this gives you a feel for the area. For alumni and students of UCSB, I hope you enjoy the post and maybe learn a little more some of the places you once rode past.

And a much deserved shout-out to Christopher Wallace for today's title.

Del Playa: The undergrads' mecca. Weekends can easily stretch out into 4 or 5 days in a typical week. On Holloween, some 80,000 in 2 square miles give IV a density roughly on par with Manilla or Bogor.


Pros: Not uncommon for massive house parties to overflow into massive street parties (like the photo above from last Friday night). Empties litter the streets (although the big money is to be had by actually going into a party and getting it from the source).
Cons: Lots of Gauchos all over. Sometimes it's too crowded to be on a bicycle safely.

Practice Fields: Where athletes and club teams practice soccer


Pros: Easiest; just walk the perimeter and check recycling bins. On the way to class. Near my home. No one else seems to be collecting from here.
Cons: Locked up early in the morning and late at night. Also, I'm not sure when the facilities people come and empty the bins.



On Campus: So close, yet so far away.



Pros: I'm already there, often with time to kill.
Cons: Can't get into the recycling bins (locked). Trash cans have a lot of goods, but it's hit-or-miss. Also, it's a little too awkward for me to be digging through trash during daylight.

Downtown Isla Vista:


Pros: Lot's of kids filtering through. In about the area of a quarter mile square there are at least a half-dozen liquor stores. (Yes, that is just about every varietal and size of Smirnoff imaginable)
Cons: This is the bums' post. It seems that Pirate, Wizard, and the other regulars keep this place relatively clear of cans. They don't seem as systematic or serious as the Gauchos, but they also don't do anything else all day.

Goleta Beach:


Pros: Family barbecues and beach volleyball. They allow cans, and just everyone has some sort of beer going (it warms my heart to see Keystone Ice being consumed by someone other than undergrads). This beach is also right in the flight path of 33L and 33R, so you can watch planes fly over at pretty low altitudes.
Cons: Everyone seems to keep their cans, no one here is rich or careless.

Thanks for reading! Remember to sign up for email notification (info in the sidebar) and tell your friends. Wherever you are, remember to recycle. Recycling an aluminum can requires 95% less energy than making a new one.

-Charles